-
Quitting smoking without help is hard: Effects of motivation and other personality factors
Quitting smoking is hard, but that suggestion probably isn’t terribly exciting all on its own since most of our readers probably knew it already. Still, while we’ve talked about quitting smoking using nicotine replacement and medication, we haven’t really touched the subject of all those people out there who just decide to give quitting smoking…
-
Mindfulness, meditation, and Addiction
By Rachel Fintzy, M.A., MFT, and Adi Jaffe, Ph.D. “You know you’re an alcoholic when you misplace things–like a decade.” (Paul Williams) Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of mindfulness meditation in Western medicine, cleverly entitled one of his best-selling books on meditation, “Wherever you go, there you are.” Simple and obvious, perhaps, but easier said than done,…
-
Money or cocaine? It all depends on timing
People who are looking for treatment for their cocaine addiction still really like cocaine, but they’ll choose money as an immediate reward if they can only get their drug of choice later. Cocaine or money? Depends on how long the wait is Although it might be somewhat surprising, the above finding is the result of…
-
ADHD and neurocognition – Knowing what to remember
Kate Humphreys ADHD In children and adults – Symptoms and tests Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, formerly known also as ADD) are classically seen as the kids in class who have trouble staying in their seats and paying attention during long lessons. Underlying these problematic behaviors is a confluence of factors, with evidence…
-
A new candidate for ADHD medication: Amantadine and the rise of non-stimulants
It is well known that ADHD diagnoses and substance abuse problems are closely associated. It is estimated that substance abuse problems including dependence are up to twice as common among individuals with ADHD, which is not surprising given the impulsivity factor involved in ADHD. The problem is that until recently, most medications for ADHD have belonged…
-
THC for Huntington’s Disease? Cannabinoid receptors are important for more than drug use
Here at A3, we believe in equal opportunity. We recognize that saying we have an addiction problem is not the same as saying we have a drug use problem and that just because some people abuse substances (or belief systems) doesn’t means that these have no actual value when not abused. Enter this recent paper…
-
Choice and control in addiction – Genetics and neuroscience of drug abuse
Dr. Jaffe recently gave an online lecture (webinar) for HealthCentral on the processes involved in choice and control of behavior during addiction and drug abuse. We’ve written quite a bit on here about the neuroscience of impulsivity issues and the genetic predisposition to addiction and this talk really covers some of the most important aspects…
-
ADD and ADHD medications: Lessons from a crystal meth experiment
I’ve recently completed a study that I presented at the Society For Neuroscience (SFN) meeting in DC. The study was actually aimed at looking at the usefulness of two medications in interfering with the rewarding qualities of methamphetamine. The thinking was the if we could figure out a way to interfere with crystal meth being…
